Fact: All politicians break their promises

Myth: One party is different from the other

Problem: If you make promises and keep them, you have nothing left to offer. In other words, you need the problem to exist for you to be needed.

2006 Promises from the RetroLibs:

Ethical leadership.

Not altogether broken, but a terrible start when Pelosi exempted her local companies from a bill that burdened all others. Not to mention her efforts to make the ethically corrupt Jack Murtha the #2 man in the House. Even her own folks couldn't put up with that.

No more earmarks

This promise was utterly shattered.  USA Today carried the story this week of earmark funds being showered on Democratic lawmakers in perilous districts come 2008.

PayGo

This one, it turns out, is NoGo.  The rule was that the Democratic leadership would pass no tax cuts without commensurate spending cuts or tax increases.  Then came the AMT renewal, which would affect those heavily blue high-income-tax states like Massachusetts and New Jersey.  That's all it took to break that promise.

Let me bring the point to its current application:

• Health care for all Americans?  A future broken promise, unless they count all those who have guaranteed health care access as having health care  Then we're already there.
• Troops home immediately after inauguration?  A move like that would make them responsible for what happens in Iraq.  That just ain't gonna happen.  Unless Kucinich gets in.  Then he will set about the slaughter of the innocents in a post-U.S. civil war, all the while praising himself for being the only one who cares.  Caveat: If things continue to improve the way they have been for the last six months, half of the troops will be home before inauguration and each subsequent month should welcome home more until this promise is kept, though not in the election-rhetoric time frame.
• Tax increases on the rich? Only if you consider income over $100k rich.  In other words, almost every two-income family.  And you'll likely have to ignore tax increases on the poor, such as: gas taxes (sold as "alternate fuel investments") and value-added taxes (the European favorite that taxes products at every stage of production.  This one is popular with liberals because its hidden from view - it looks like prices just went up a bunch and folks will blame the usual evil corporate villains)
• Repeal of partial-birth abortion  A bill like this will only see light of day if Democrats have 300 House seats and 70 Senate seats.  Even then they'll have trouble finding a majority to support such a heinous act.
• Driver's licenses for illegal aliens  My head is still spinning from the position changes on this one.  But it's safe to say that you can't give them licenses and deny them licenses at the same time - so this one stands as 100% certain to be broken.
• Gay Marriage legalized in federal law As long as they can see the next election from where they stand, they won't force this tenet of post-modern religion down the throats of the 45 or so states that find it unwise to legalize this.

So what promises will be kept?  The unspoken promises of lathering themselves in the trappings of power and the revenge that they've resisted for the last 12 months.

No wonder Congress has a sub-20% approval rating.  It's full of Democrats and Republicans (no need to itemize the sins of the latter).

sharp

Here is today's list of five things I believe:

1) Fat people are happier.  Mostly because they just ate something really good. (I heard this somewhere, and I belive it completely)

2) Abortion kills the most helpless in our society and defines us as cruel and unthinkably selfish.

3) The Muslims are right about some things (like immorality, greed, etc.)  But thinking I should die for not being Muslim isn't one.

4) The death penalty is troubling.  But this group of recent parolees in my town who kidnapped a guy and a girl on a date, raped them both, tortured them both and then killed him first and her after a day or so, makes me feel so much better about it.

5) Oprah is good.  Really good.  She may have just hand-picked our next President.  Ya gotta be impressed.

sharp

I love it when the Clinton campaign tells you how righteous they are by saying things like:

"The dirty-tricks Republicans will surely use Obama's drug use against him in the general campaign."

Boy, I got the message all four ways it was intended.

First, Obama is a drugged up loser and can't win the general campaign

Second, the Republicans are evil and will do in this very kind gentleman we're speaking of

Third, we Clinton campaign staffers are much better people than those dirty-trick Republicans because we'd never use Obama's drug use against him.

Fourth, by disassociating ourselves with our campaign co-chairman's comments about all of this, we've been able to keep the issue in the news and ensure that everyone knows that our charming leader would never use Obama's former drug use against him like those dirty-trick republicans. 

It just makes you feel good to know that the spirit of Bill Clinton is alive and well in Hillary. 

At least it's alive and morally bankrupt, just like it always was.

Why, it's almost enough to make you inhale.

sharp

Politics is never dull.

sharp

Chavez loses his bid for eternal Presidency as democracy plays out in Venezuela.  Meanwhile, democracy is thwarted in Russia for....maybe ever.

sharp